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BEHCHOKO/RAE-EDZO - Residents in Edzo are being asked to drastically limit water consumption over the weekend after the intake pipe at the pump station was damaged.

Students at Chief Jimmy Bruneau high school got an unexpected day off this week to conserve water in Edzo after the intake pipe at the community's the pump station was damaged. - NNSL file photo

Community Government of Behchoko spokesperson Craig Yeo said it was imperative people conserve water so there would be some water in the reservoir in case of a fire.

"We're asking the fire marshal for a relaxation order but you have to keep a certain amount of water for fire fighting," he said on Thursday afternoon.

Yeo said pumper trucks could be brought in from Rae to battle a blaze if necessary. He said the high school's sprinkler system would quickly drain the limited resources.

The shutdown meant students at Chief Jimmy Bruneau high school got an unexpected day off today, but it affected few if any businesses which are mostly located in Rae.

Starting this morning, residents are being asked to curb all water consumption except for drinking, cooking, and "necessary" toilet flushes. A flyer being circulated around town specifically asks residents not to take showers or do any laundry until told otherwise.

Yeo said the water intake pipe was damaged after the ground froze and shifted the pump station building from an anchored base.

"If we don't act promptly to fix it we could lose the water supply unexpectedly for days," said Yeo.

Engineers with Corix Water systems discovered the problem. They were inspecting the entire water system in Edzo to prepare for the opening of a new water treatment plant.

Parts needed to fix the problem were immediately ordered from Edmonton and Yeo said the town is hoping to have the water running as usual by Sunday but they are also preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.

"If anything goes wrong we want to make sure the people conserve water drastically so drinking and cooking water won't be threatened," said Yeo.

Before the problem was discovered, Edzo was filling its water reservoir with water treated in a temporary treatment plant, supplemented by treated water trucked in from Rae.

When the new treatment plant is up and running it should be able to meet the demands of Edzo on its own.

Edzo has its own water system separate from Rae that serves about 300 people, or 94 households as well as the high school. On a normal day those households use a surprisingly large amount of water.

"The consumption of water in Edzo is between 170,000 and 180,000 litres a day," said Yeo.

Chief Jimmy Bruneau school principal James Robinson said the closure is unfortunate but just one of those things you have to deal with.

"You hate losing instructional days but sometimes there are emergencies that just trump that so you're left with no choice," he said.